Seed-planter



(NoModel.)

JVA. STONE.

SEEE PLANTEE.

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vPEmente-d' lVIzu'. 1., T892.

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Y ters of reference marked thereon,which form UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN STONE, VAIL, IOWA.

SEED-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,755, dated March 1, 1892. Application-Med June 21, 1887. Serial No. 241,954. i (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. STONE, of Vail, in the county of Crawford and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Planters;v and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to `which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, 'and to the leta part of this specification.

The main objects 0f my invention are to plant corn in equidistant cross-rows and to facilitate the operation of planting.

It consists, essentially, of a rotary belt provided with projections arranged to engage with the ground, -in combination with a corndropping device, mechanism connected with said dropping device and arranged to be operated by said belt at determinate intervals, mechanism for raising and lowering said belt, mechanism arranged to hold the projections on said belt vertically as they enter and are withdrawn from the ground, and other features hereinafter specifically set forth.

In the accompanying drawings like letters refer to the same parts in both figures.

Figure lis a side elevation of my improved machine, the front supporting-wheelA being removed; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the same. v

I-Ieretofore a wire stretched across the field to be planted and provided at the desired intervals for the hills with trip-blocks to engage l and operate the` dropper-actuating mechanism, or a wheel running upon the ground and arranged to engage and operate the dropper mechanism at intervals in its revolution, has

been employed; but these devices are objectionable, because they are inconvenient to operate, inaccurate, and uncertain in their operation, or lack durability. These obj ections I aim to overcome in my improved machine.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,-

A A is the main frame of the machine, supported upon the wheels B, bearing upon the crank-axle B', which is supported and arranged to turn in boxes formed in or attached to the sides of said frame. It is designed to be attached at the front end, as shown in Fig.

l, to a seed dropper or planter of the usual or any suitable form and construction, in which O represents the seed-box, P the conduit leading therefrom to the ground, p the slide by which the discharge of seed from box O is controlled, and N the shoe by which the drill or furrow is formed in the ground for the seed.

C is a crank-shaft formed with a crank of the same radius as the crank of axle B. It is j ournaled at each side of the machine in boxes attached to frame A.

D D is a frame provided with boxes d d, which receive the cranks of axle B and shaft C supporting saidframe D.

E E are sprocket-wheels whose shafts are supported and bear in boxes in frame D, one of said sprocket-wheels being mounted upon the crank of shaft C. Upon the sprocketwheels E E is mounted the chain belt F, to which are pivoted or hinged at regular intervals pins or teeth G G, extended inside of their jointed connections with said chain into the crank-arms G G which are provided at the endswith crank-pins and friction-rollersg.

II is a guideway supported upon brackets h h, attached to frame A in position to receive and guide the friction-rollers g g and thereby hold the teeth G G in the desired position throughout their circuit.

R is a bevel-gear provided on its periphery at regular intervalswith teeth or projections r r and supported at one side of the chain belt G in bearings secured to frame D.

The chain F is provided on the side adjacent to the gear R and atdeterminate intervals equal to the distance desired between the hills or rows with lateral projections g, which work with the teeth r r on the periphery of the gear R.

L is a shaft set lengthwise of the machine in bearings attached to frame D and provided at its front end with a crank Z', which is connected with and actuates the seed-dropping slide p, and at the other end with a pinion l, working with the bevel-gear R.

I is a lever fulcrumed to frame A in a position accessible to the operator and provided with a spring -catch a, working with the notched segment J. It is connected by a link 7c with a bar K, mounted upon and connecting the cranks of axle B and shaft C, the

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turning of which by means of said lever raises or lowers the frame D and chain belt G, as desired. A

M is a guard or scraper attached to the front end of frame A and arranged to clear the ground of obstacles directly in front of the teeth G as they enter the ground. The chain F is so located as to run between the seed drills or rows.

The operation is as follows: The machine having been brought to the starting-point, the frame D and sprocket-wheels E `E lare lowered by means of the lever I, so as to cause the pins or teeth G to engage with the ground, as seen in Fig. 1, sufficiently to rigidlyhold the lower section of the chain fast or stationary.

.The-teeth are caused to ent-er-` the ground more 4 orflessaccording to the character of the soil.

1If the soil islight, theyare driven deeper in .orderato prevent any yielding'or movement of `thelcwer section of `the chain; `but if the-soil isistilyand hard `it will be sufficient to drive them atxa lessdepth.

gagement with the groundcauses thesprockvet-wheels to rotate andthe upper section of said chain to travel past the gearR at `the same rate of speed that `themachine passes over theground. The projections g', engaging the teeth r fr onthe periphery of the gear R, each causeitheilatter `to make adeterxninatepart of .ya revolution, which turns the shaft `L `a :half-revolution and byitscrankl moves the dropslide .p1 to one side, ,th us discharging seed for .agiven number of hills in a row running transversely to the travel of the .machine Thedrop-sl-ide is thusmoved at exactly uni- `form intervals alternatelyffrom side to side byytheprojections g', working with the teeth r rot .geariR The gu'ideway H is soformed as to cause the teeth G to` enterand withdraw from the ground in a vertical position in,

order to insure an unvarying movement of `the chain-B` corresponding exactlyto the distance traversedby the machine. The .teeth G, thusientering the ground, do not operate to accelerate orvretard the movement of the .chain independently of the advance of the machine. When the endof a row is reached, the chain and itsrteeth Gare lifted from the groundand'the machine turned intoposition vtobegin another row, `the chain Fbeing set by hand so as to trip the seed-dropping mech-- anism-at the4 properpoint of beginning. The chain is then lowered, the machine moved forward,and the operation continues as described. The guard'or `scraper M, grazing `thesurt'ace ofthe ground .justinffront of the teeth G, removesany obstacles or obstructions which :mightdeleet said teeth and cause a deviation in the proper movement of chain F.

I do not wish to confine myself to `the de- `viceshofwn and-described for holding the 'teeth G on chainF in a vertical position as they enter the ground or are withdrawn there- The machine isnovv driven `forward and the lower section of the Ichain-1F, beingheldfastbythe pins G G in enfrom, as other means may be employed to accomplish that end without departing from the principle upon which my machine operates.

I claim- 1. ,In a check-row attachment for seed-planters, the combination of a suitable frame sup; ported on wheels, a vertically-adj ustable frame carried by the main frame and connected therewith so as to be raised and lowered uniformly and simultaneously at both ends, a belt mounted on suitable wheels having bearings in said vertically-ad.) ustable frame, teeth hinged to said belt at intervals and provided `with crank-arms, and a guide constructed and arranged to be traversed by said crank-arms and to hold said-teeth vertically as they en- ,terand `are withdrawn .from the ground and thereby .iinsure a movement of said `belt exactly corresponding withztheadvance of the machine, substantially :as and for `the purposes setforth.

2. In a seed-planter,thc combination, .with suitable seed-dropping mechanism, ot' a yframe f supported upon vwheels,:sproChet-wheels.hav-

ing bearings in `said frame, a vchain belt mounted uponsaid sprocket-wheels, teetlnpivotally connected at intervals'with saidfchain belt yand `provided with y.crank-arms,and a re'lativelyxed Aguide attached to thetrame of the machine and constructed-andarranged tobe traversed bytsaidfcrankarmsgand to Ahold the teeth in auvertical position asrthey enter andare withdrawn from tlf@ ground,fsnb

`stantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a check-rowattachment for seedfplanters, the combination, withstheymain frame, of a vertically-adj ustable vframe carried Y,by two double cranks which have bearings -insaid fmain trane, a lever connected with .and .ar-

ranged 'to-raise and lowersaid adjustable frame, sprocket-wheels having bearings `in and supported `by saidadjustable iframe, a chain belt carried by said sprocket-wheels,

'teeth hinged to said belt;` and provided with crank-arms Vhaving crank-pinaand a `guide arranged to be traversed by said erankfpins and to hold said teeth in avertical position as they enter and are withdrawn from the ground, substantially as and `for the purposes setforth.

4. In a seed-planter, the combinatiomwith a belt mounted upon suitable wheels and-provided with teeth which are adapted `to eny,gage with the ground, of a seed-dropping slide, a vcrank-shaft connected therewith, a

`gearwheel working lwith a :pinion `oir-said crank-shaft and provided with projectionsA at intervals aroundor near .its peripherygand Aprojectionsprovided at intervals on saidfbelt and arrangedto engage withfthe 'projections on saidgear-wheel andfintermittinglyfrun the same, substantially as and for .thefpurposes set forth.

5. The ,combinatiom-in a seed;planter,.with the drop-slide, of ,a-chain.-belt provided `with teeth pivoted thereto and constructed and arranged to engage with the ground onthe IOO llO

under side of' the belt, sprocket-wheels carrying said chain belt and having bearings in the frame of the machine, a guide constructed and arranged to direct and hold said teeth vertically as they enter and are Withdrawn from the ground, and a gear connected with said drop-slide and arranged to be turned by projections on said chain belt at regular intervals corresponding with the distance between rows, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a seed-planter, the combination of a suit-able frame, a rotary belt mounted upon wheels having bearings in said frame, teeth JOHN A. STONE.

Vitnesses:

CEAS. L. Goss, GEORGE M. GOLL. 

